Layla Bakery

"For: Pastry bow tie and morning bun The only thing you can count on Layla Bakery having is a queue. Turning up to this popular Notting Hill cafe after 11am and expecting to find a counter filled with pastries is delusional. So, arrive early or later in the day, take whatever baked goods are on offer—everything’s great anyway. Like the excellently light strawberry jam and cream-filled bow ties, buttery croissants, and gooey milk chocolate cookies. The pastries are some of the best we’ve had in London." - rianne shlebak, sinead cranna, daisy meager

"Cookie of choice: chocolate chip If Layla was a person, they’d be the effortlessly attractive one that strangers post on TikTok with the caption “London, do your thing”. But you won’t need to ask Gen Z where to find London’s chicest cookie because we’ve found it for you. A thick, perfectly round disk, with some height to it without going full Peak District, it’s of the chewy, doughy variety, with unevenly spread shards of dark chocolate throughout, and a sprinkling of sea salt flakes on top. If you’re into cookie dough, you’ll love the one from this Notting Hill bakery." - rianne shlebak, sinead cranna, heidi lauth beasley, jake missing, daisy meager

"The Verdict: The excellent pastries make this bakery worth the early morning alarm. We’ve experienced the frustration of arriving at this Notting Hill bakery only to find a couple of sandwiches and a cookie left on the counter. But once we cracked the code—arriving just before they open at 8am—we had our first real taste of Layla Bakery. The strawberry jam-filled bows, glistening morning buns, and savoury garlic twists are some of the best in London." - sinead cranna, rianne shlebak, jake missing

"The only thing you can count on Layla Bakery to have on the weekends is a queue. Turning up to this popular Notting Hill cafe after 11am and expecting to find a counter filled with pastries is straight-up delusional. So arrive early or take whatever baked goods you can find—everything’s great anyway. We’re talking excellently light strawberry jam and cream-filled bow ties, buttery croissants, and gooey milk chocolate cookies. Inside it’s like a GBBO tent turned factory: everywhere you look people are rolling out dough or filling sandwiches before wrapping them tightly and putting them out on the counter. The pastries are some of the best we’ve had in London, so if you’re in the area you should pop in for whatever’s on and a cup of coffee. And if you’re an early bird, arrive at 8am when they first open. You won’t regret it. photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch" - Rianne Shlebak

✅ but need to try the sandwich’s